Graphite composite shafts are now used in many products as substitutes for shafts made from rigid materials such as steel, wood or the like. For example, many golf clubs and fishing rods now have graphite composite shafts. Graphite composite shafts are favored because they are both light and strong as well as being corrosion resistant.
However, conventional graphite composite shafts are still capable of experiencing impact damage, particularly at the tips of the shafts. For example, in a fishing rod made from a graphite composite shaft, the tip of the rod is quite slender as the rod tapers from the handle end to the rod tip. The rod tip will often be banged or jostled during use against a solid object, e.g. the bottom or sides of the fishing boat, with such impact exposing some of the graphite fibers and weakening the tip. Thus, the tip may subsequently break off the rod, thereby rendering it unfit for further use. Such impact damage and consequent rod tip failure is a major cause of warranty or other returns of fishing rods to the manufacturer.
Golf clubs having shafts made from graphite composite materials experience a similar, but more extreme, problem with impact damage at the shaft tip. Again, the shaft of the club usually tapers from one end to the other with the wider end being attached to the handle of the club and the narrower or slender end being attached to the club head. Since golf clubs are meant to be swung in proximity to the ground, it is not unusual for the club head to strike the ground with considerable force, applying a large force or torque to the narrowest portion of the shaft, i.e. to the tip of the shaft that is joined to the club head. Again, this impact can cause failure of the composite shaft at this point, causing the tip of the shaft to break at or closely adjacent the club head.